Hatboro-Horsham School District Cell Phone Policy (2026)

Hatboro-Horsham School District in Montgomery County enrolled 4,215 students in 2024-25 according to federal data. A parent petition asked for a district-wide rule, and the board answered with a resolution for 2026-27.

Hatboro-Horsham phone rules today

Patch reported on June 30, 2026 that the school board approved a resolution setting when students can use personal electronic devices, including phones and smartwatches:

• Elementary schools and Keith Valley Middle School: bell-to-bell ban starting in 2026-27.
• Hatboro-Horsham High School: devices only at lunch and passing time.
• Bathrooms: no use.

A Change.org petition from families had asked the district for a district-wide cell phone policy.

What Act 117 requires of Hatboro-Horsham by 2027-28

Gov. Josh Shapiro approved SB 1014 on October 26, 2026. It is Act 117 of 2026, and it took effect that day. The text is Printer's No. 1697 on palegis.us. Every school entity must adopt a bell-to-bell policy by the start of the 2027-28 school year.

Act 117 requires	Hatboro-Horsham today	What changes by 2027-28
No student use for the whole school day, including homeroom, lunch, recess and passing time	K-8 bell to bell; HS lunch and passing time	End high school lunch and passing use.
The board decides how possession is restricted (taking phones is not required)	Not stated in the report	The policy must say how possession is restricted.
Required exceptions: documented medical need of the student or an immediate family member, IEP or 504, English learner translation, limited teacher-approved instructional use	Not stated in the report	Write in all four required exceptions.
Optional: a principal may approve another exception for up to one school day, with notice to the superintendent within 5 days after	Not stated	Teacher use must meet Act 117's three conditions; other exceptions capped at one day.
Written notice each year and on enrollment: a staffed way to reach your child, and how to sign up for emergency notifications	Not stated	Written notice each year and on enrollment of a staffed contact method and emergency sign-up.
Tell families, teachers and students about the policy each year; verify to PDE within 5 business days that it is posted online	Board resolution (2026)	Board policy posted, announced each year and verified to PDE.

Where LockedIn fits

Hatboro-Horsham already runs bell to bell through 8th grade. LockedIn locks students' own phones from an admin dashboard with nothing to collect, so the high school can match it without new storage, alongside whatever method the K-8 schools use.

Act 117 has no general student emergency-use exception. The closest tool is the optional principal exception, which is capped at one school day and reported to the superintendent within five days afterward. LockedIn's Emergency Mode unlocks every phone on campus at once, so districts should have counsel review how that fits their emergency procedures and Act 117's exception rules.

Private and independent schools in Horsham

Act 117's definition of "school entity" includes private schools, approved private schools and nonpublic schools, so Horsham's private, independent and parochial schools need their own bell-to-bell policy by 2027-28. For those schools, the governing body plays the role the superintendent plays in a district, including receiving notice of any principal-approved exception.

Draft a policy that tracks Act 117's required exceptions and family notices with our policy generator.